New to View: May 25
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May 25, unless otherwise noted:
Nightmare Alley: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1947, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: After 10-plus years at 20th Century Fox, Tyrone Power wanted to expand his image beyond the romantic and swashbuckling movies that made him a star and top box office draw.
Power convinced studio boss Daryl F. Zanuck to buy the novel, “Nightmare Alley,” so Power could portray an unsavory character.
This is a dark movie, despite the slightly hopeful finally tacked onto the feature at Zanuck’s insistence.
Power portrays Stanton “Stan” Carlisle, a small-time carny barker who dreams of wealth and fame. After learning the mind-reading code of fellow performer “Mademoiselle Zeena” (Joan Blondell), Carlisle, billing himself as “The Great Stanton,” heads to Chicago with his wife, Molly (Coleen Gray), where he performs in high-class nightclubs and becomes a star.
He meets psychologist Lilith Ritter (Helen Walker), and they devise a plan to fleece the city’s rich by Ritter passing him information about her patients.
Soon, the plan collapses when Carlisle is unmasked as a fraud and Ritter refuses to split their take with him.
Carlisle begins drinking as his life falls apart. He stumbles into a small-time carnival where he gets a job as a geek, who eats live chickens in a sideshow.
The movie received a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. A remake, cowritten and directed by Guillermo del Toro, and starring Bradley Cooper as Carlisle, Cate Blanchett as Ritter, Toni Collette as Zeena and Rooney Mara as Molly, is scheduled to be released in December.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include a 2005 commentary track with James Ursini and Alain Silver, interviews with critic Imogen Sara Smith and performer-historian Todd Robbins, a 2007 interview with Coleen Gray, an audio excerpt from a 1971 interview with director Henry King discussing Power and an essay about the movie.
The Father (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 18
Details: 2020, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, thematic elements, language
The lowdown: “The Father” is an emotionally devastating movie, especially for those who have — or had — family members or close friends who were afflicted with dementia.
The movie, directed by Florian Zeller, based on his play, and adapted by Zeller and Christopher Hampton, is told mostly through the perspective of 80-year-old Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), who is finding it more and more difficult to discern reality from delusion.
Anthony continually cannot separate the people in his life. He can’t understand why he is being treated like a child or being persecuted.
His surroundings continue to change; objects appear and disappear.
Anthony wants to be independent and spend the rest of his life in the London apartment in which he has lived for decades.
He shows signs of paranoia when dealing with his daughter, Anne, her husband, Paul, or his various caregivers.
His moods shift suddenly and unexpectedly from lucidity and joy to belligerence, anger and suspicion.
Because “The Father” is told from Anthony’s point of view, we, like Anthony, find it difficult to separate real events from how he imagines them.
Zeller keeps us off balance, so we can appreciate and understand Anthony’s confusion, vulnerability and disassociation.
“The Father” is a sensitive and realistic picture of dementia’s toll — not only on the person in the grip of its effects but those around him, especially family members.
“The Father” belongs to Hopkins, who won an Academy Award for his performance. He towers over the rest of the cast, giving a splendid and harrowing turn as a man knowing on some level that his mind is betraying him.
Hopkins’ tour-de-force portrayal is nuanced and mesmerizing. His acting is courageous because he subtly reveals Anthony’s turmoil and perplexity. Hopkins shows Anthony’s awareness and horror about his deteriorating intellectual state.
“The Father” is a painful experience that saddens you. It may lack hope, but it overflows with heart.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include deleted scenes, a making of featurette and a “Perception Check: Portrait of ‘The Father’ ” featurette.
Tom & Jerry: The Movie (Blu-ray & digital)
Release date: May 18
Details: 2021, Warner Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, cartoon violence, rude humor, language
The lowdown: The concept of mixing cartoon and live-action characters have had mixed results.
“Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” of course, set a very high bar that few others have even reached. “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle” and “Space Jam” received middling reviews. It seems with rare exceptions, toons and humans don’t mesh.
The latest example is “Tom & Jerry: The Movie,” in which the legendary rivalry from the series of MGM cartoons from the 1940s onward is reignited.
Jerry the mouse takes up residence in New York City’s most posh hotel on the eve of the “wedding of the century,” and Tom the cat is reluctantly hired to get rid of him.
Mayhem ensues and the cat-and-mouse battle threatens to wreck the hotel itself. In the end though, a bigger problem forces Tom and Jerry to work together to save the day.
Overall, critics were not that impressed, giving the movie a 32 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos TrueHD, English descriptive audio and English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a gag reel, deleted scenes, a featurette on bringing Tom & Jerry to life, a look at the world of Tom & Jerry, “The Feud: #TeamTom vs. #TeamJerry” featurette, Jerry’s “A House for a Mouse” featurette, “The Tom & Jerry Guide to New York City Wildlife” featurette, a look “Inside the Wedding of Ben and Preeta” and looks at two scenes coming to life.
Kinky Boots: The Musical (Blu-ray)
Details: 2019, MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway play, itself adapted from a 2005 British movie, is the story of Charlie, a factory owner struggling to save his family’s business, and Lola, an entertainer with a very wild idea for success.
Their unexpected collaboration leads to a better understanding of people and the ability to embrace the differences in all of us as Charlie and Lola create a line of sturdy stilettos.
The musical was written by Harvey Fierstein, with music by Cyndi Lauper.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM; English SDH subtitles.
12 Monkeys Steelbook (Blu-ray)
Details: 1995, Arrow Video
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt star in this dystopian, sci-fi, time-travel feature that is sometimes hard to follow and rather complex.
The story begins in 2035, decades after a deadly plague had wiped out a vast majority of humanity and the survivors live underground.
In 2035, prisoner James Cole (Willis) is selected to go back in time and help scientists in a search for a cure. The major problem is that Cole gets very little help and is considered crazy.
Director Terry Gilliam’s feature is not easy to grasp, but it is inventive, engaging and grim.
The movie earned an 89 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Steelbook supplemental options include a limited-edition booklet, a 1996 interview with Gilliam, an appreciation by author Ian Christie, a “The Twelve Monkeys Archives” extra, a commentary track and a making of documentary.
The Nest (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 18
Details: 2020, IFC Films-Shout! Factory
Rated: R, language, nudity, sexual situations, teen partying
The lowdown: Jude Law and Carrie Coon star in this dark drama about tensions that begin unraveling a marriage.
Law plays Rory, an entrepreneur and former commodities broker, who convinces his wife, Allison (Coon), and their children to leave their comfortable home in suburban America and return to Rory’s native England.
There, Rory rejoins his former law firm and leases a very old country manor with grounds for Allison’s horses.
But when the promise of a lucrative new beginning starts to fade, the truths beneath the surface of Rory and Allison’s marriage begin to emerge.
The film, written and directed by Sean Durkin, whose “Martha Marcy May Marlene” was a critical hit a few years ago, is unsettling, ambiguous and a critical view of consumerism and status.
Critics were impressed with the movie, giving it an 89 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extra is a scene anatomy featurette.
The Night of the Following Day (Blu-ray)
Details: 1969, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, language, violence
The lowdown: An all-star cast headed by two-time Academy Award-winner Marlon Brando, Richard Boone and Oscar-winner Rita Moreno headline this psychological crime thriller about four professional criminals who kidnap the daughter of a millionaire to extort ransom payment.
The abduction is meticulous; the girl is held at an isolated beach house and all seems to be going as planned until the crooks’ personal troubles emerge, leading to a series of double crosses and an explosive finale.
Brando was praised for his subdued performance that lacked his familiar mannerisms.
Years earlier, Brando and Moreno had been involved in a tempestuous affair that ended badly.
The film is interesting because it portrays the criminals as complicated characters battling their own demons.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Two commentary tracks and a “Trailers From Hell” segment with Joe Dante comprise the extras.
Last Action Hero (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: May 18
Details: 1993, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, violence, strong action sequences
The lowdown: Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this messy, tongue-in-cheek satire of action movies and all their glorious formulaic touchstones.
The movie costars Austin O’Brien as Danny Madigan, a lonely 11-year-old, who escapes his bleak existence by watching action-adventure movies starring his favorite character, Jack Slater (Schwarzenegger) at his neighborhood theater.
Danny’s best friend is Nick (Robert Prosky), the theater projectionist, who gives Danny a magical ticket given him by Harry Houdini.
Tearing the ticket, Danny is transported into Slater’s world where the good guy always wins, despite all the improbable odds.
Danny becomes Slater’s helper as Jack battles a trio of villains, including Benedict (Charles Dance), Vivaldi (two-time Oscar-winner Anthony Quinn) and The Ripper (Tom Noonan).
Events go badly when Benedict steals Danny’s ticket stub and steps into the real world, where some crimes go unnoticed or ignored.
Slater and Danny must leave fictional Los Angeles for the real New York and battle the villains without the aid of movie magic.
“Last Action Hero’s mix of thrills and satire never really mesh. The fun is watching every genre trope get skewered.
Technical aspects: 2160p Ultra High Definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible), and English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, French Dolby surround and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include deleted and alternate scenes, a commentary track with director John McTiernan, an alternate ending, an original behind-the-scenes featurette and a music video.
Lights of Old Broadway (Blu-ray)
Details: 1925, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Marion Davies’ talent is often overshadowed by her longtime association with media tycoon William Randolph Hearst and the fictional Susan Alexander from Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane,” which was a thinly veiled criticism of Hearst and his excesses.
But, because of such recent movies as “Mank,” in which Amanda Seyfried portrayed a smart and savvy Davies, the actress is receiving the recognition she deserves.
In the 1920s, working at MGM, Davies started in several costume features, many which featured her dramatic and comedic skills.
“Lights of Old Broadway” is set in a turn-of-the-century New York before the coming of electricity to the Broadway area.
The movie’s story features the often-used orphaned twins separated at birth plot, with Davies playing the dark-haired Anne, who was adopted by a wealthy family, and the blonde Fely, raised in the city’s tenements by the O’Tandy family, who becomes a musical-comedy star.
The film features a few complications, such as leading man Conrad Nagel falling in love with Fely, not knowing she is his half-brother.
The movie features some early two-strip Technicolor sequences as well as a few hand-coloring and tinting scenes. The film also features a new orchestrated score by Robert Israel.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio for musical score.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historian Anthony Slide is the major extra.
Deliver Us From Evil (Blu-ray)
Details: 2020, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Korean action thriller borrows many of the situations used in Liam Neeson’s “Taken.”
In this case, it is a former government agent and assassin whose daughter is kidnapped. But the storyline offers much more — the abduction is part of a revenge scheme hatched by a gangster whose brother the assassin had killed.
Also included for good measure is an organ harvesting subplot.
Most of this is over-the-top, but the film balances it all with a bevy of strong action sequences.
A lot of the film is set in Thailand, where the kidnapped girl had been taken.
Fans of the genre should enjoy this feature.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Korean 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A look at location filming and a making of featurette comprise the major bonus offerings.
Explorers: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1985, Shout! Factory
Rated: PG, mild language, action
The lowdown: Two young, science-loving friends, Ben (Ethan Hawke) and Wolfgang (River Phoenix), build a spaceship in their makeshift laboratory in this sci-fi fantasy from director Joe Dante.
Along with their other pal, Darren (Jason Presson), the trio launch the ship and begin a series of amazing adventures among the stars.
The movie, which marked the debuts for Hawke and Phoenix, has the young boy meeting brother and sister aliens, who stole their father’s spacecraft.
After the aliens are discovered and scolded by their father, the young boys return to Earth with a gift from their new extraterrestrial friends.
The Blu-ray includes the theatrical and home video cuts of the movie, which received a 77 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette about the movie that includes interviews with Dante, screenwriter Eric Luke and Hawke, deleted scenes and interviews with cinematographer John Hora and editor Tina Hirsch.
The Final Countdown: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + CD)
Details: 1980, Blue Underground
Rated: PG, violence
The lowdown: This sci-fi thriller, featuring a strong cast and an interesting premise, is nonetheless a frustrating tease of a movie.
The story centers on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Nimitz and its crew, which is on maneuvers in the Pacific.
A freak electrical-like storm envelops the ship and triggers a time portal, sending the Nimitz back to Dec. 6, 1941 — the day before the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
The first part of the movie deals with the ship’s captain, played by Kirk Douglas, and his officers trying to determine what happened and if the ship indeed traveled back in time. Then, they debate whether or not to alter history by preventing the attack.
Finally, after a decision is made, the freak storm reappears and returns the Nimitz back to its own time.
My opinion is, I would have liked to see a movie in which a then-contemporary nuclear-armed carrier went up against the Japanese fleet. Unfortunately, this is a “what if” movie that falls apart in the final reel.
Technical aspects: 4K; 2160p Ultra HD, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio and French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include an archival commentary track with director of photography Victor J. Kemper, an interview with associate producer Lloyd Kaufman, interviews with members of The Jolly Rogers F-14 fighter squadron, a CD with the film’s soundtrack and a booklet about the movie.
The Last Married Couple in America (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 4
Details: 1980, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, language, sexual references
The lowdown: This social satire-comedy is definitely a product of its time.
The movie, starring Natalie Wood and George Segal looks at the preponderance of separation and divorce across the nation.
Wood and Segal portray Mari and Jeff Thompson, a happily married couple living in Beverly Hills. Their recently divorced friends have them begin questioning their own relationship and make them feel as if they are missing out by remaining married.
It also doesn’t help that Jeff’s best friend, played by Richard Benjamin, fixes him up with a date while, at the same time, Mari’s best friend, played by Valerie Harper, is chasing Jeff.
Amidst all this, a plumber turned X-rated star, portrayed by Dom DeLuise, wants to stage a wild party at the Thompson’s house.
Despite its solid cast, which also includes Bob Dishy, Priscilla Barnes, Allan Arbus, Arlene Golonka and Marilyn Sokol, the movie does not hold up as well today.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main bonus component.
Mackintosh and T.J. (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 18
Details: 1975, MVD Visual Entertainment
Rated: PG
The lowdown: The “King of the Cowboys” rode off into the sunset with the release of this family-oriented modern Western.
Roy Rogers plays the titular character, a migrant cowboy traveling around West Texas in his old and run-down pickup truck. Mackintosh is looking for work breaking horses.
Along the way, he befriends T.J. (Clay O’Brien), a runaway teenager.
The two form a friendship and find work on a cattle ranch where Mackintosh impresses the owner with his bronco-taming talents. He also earns extra money by killing coyotes and collecting the bounties on them.
Everything is going fine until accusations surface against Mackintosh. In the end, the aging cowboy proves his worth and innocence.
The supporting cast includes Billy Green Bush, Andrew Robinson, Joan Hackett, James Hampton and Luke Askew. Music is by Waylon Jennings.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD monaural; English closed-captioned.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a Lone Pine cast reunion with O’Brien, Robinson and Larry Mahan; an interview with Bush; on-set footage; and a commentary track with O’Brien, Robinson and moderator C. Courtney Joyner.
Sweet Liberty (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 4
Details: 1986, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG
The lowdown: Alan Alda portrays college history professor Michael Burgess in this comedy, which he wrote and directed, about the impact of moviemaking on a small town.
A film company has bought the rights to Burgess’ best-selling book on the American Revolution and has come to his town to film it.
Burgess is aghast at what he soon realizes is Hollywood’s version of history. The film’s director wants to transform the novel into a youth-oriented sex-crazed romp; the leading man, played by Michael Caine, is a philandering adventurer; the leading lady, a lovely Michelle Pfeiffer is the leading lady with whom Burgess begins to fall in love; and his mother, Lillian Gish, believes the Devil lives in her kitchen.
The cast also includes Bob Hoskins, Lisa Hilboldt, Lois Chiles and Linda Thorson.
The movie received a 79 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, despite that fact that a few critics believed Alda’s satire needed more bite.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main bonus option is a commentary track.
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 1 (DVD)
Release date: May 18
Details: 2020, CBS Home Entertainment-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This animated series is a tongue-in-cheek, comedic addition to the “Star Trek” universe, focusing on the people who live and work several decks below the bridge.
The series, which airs on Paramount+, looks at the support crew of Starfleet — people who don’t usually get a chance to earn some glory.
The episodes take place aboard the U.S.S. Cerritos in the year 2380.
The characters include Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), Ensign Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), Ensign D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells).
The bridge crew vocal talent include Jerry O’Connell, Dawnn Lewis, Fred Tatasciore and Gillian Vigman.
Guest talent includes John De Lancie, Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis, names very familiar to Trekkers.
The two-disc set features all 10 first-season episodes.
Technical aspects: 16:9 picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The set includes more than two hours of bonus materials — looks at the animation process, behind-the-scenes on various episodes, a deep dive into the crew of the Cerritos, full-length animatic and deleted animatic scenes.
Tank (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 11
Details: 1984, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG, violence
The lowdown: James Garner stars in a story of love, honor and loyalty as Sgt-Major Zack Carey, who is completing his final stint of duty at a post in a small Georgia town, where he has moved with his wife, LaDonna (Academy Award-winner Shirley Jones), and son, Billy (C. Thomas Howell).
Carey finds himself in the crosshairs of the town’s corrupt sheriff after an altercation with one of his deputies while trying to protect a prostitute (Jenilee Harrison).
To get even the sheriff, a maniacal G.D. Spradlin, frames Billy on a drug charge. When all his attempts to clear his son fail, Carey uses his own World War II Sherman tank to remedy the situation.
The movie, directed by Marvin J. Chomsky, is OK, but nothing out of the ordinary. It’s Garner’s charm and gravitas that carry the film.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main extra.
Django + Texas, Adios (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1966, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Franco Nero portrays Django, a Civil War veteran, who comes to a small town on the Texas-Mexican border horseless and dragging a coffin.
The town is controlled by the racist former Confederate major and his gang of red-hooded, Klan-like gang. Opposing them is a group of Mexican revolutionaries.
Django is caught in the middle, especially when the Confederate officer becomes curious about what he has in that coffin.
This is a well-regarded Spaghetti Western, and many more movies — with other actors — featured the character of Django.
Also featured in this two-disc set is “Texas, Adios,” also starring Nero as a former lawman who heads to Mexico to find the man who killed his father.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p Ultra HD, 2.35:1 widescreen and 1.66:1 picture; Italian and English LPCM monaural; English SDH and English subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen and 1.66:1 picture; Italian and English LPCM monaural; English SDH and English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras on “Django” include an interview with Nero, a commentary track, interviews with assistant director Ruggero Deodato, the widow of director Sergio Corbucci, co-writers Franco Rossetti and Piero Vivarelli, an appreciation of the Django character by spaghetti westerns scholar Austin Fisher and an introduction to Django by Alex Cox. Extras on the Blu-ray of “Texas, Adios,” include interviews with Nero, Rossetti and co-star Alberto Dell’Acqua, an appreciation of the movie by Fisher and a commentary track.
Horizons West (Blu-ray)
Release date: May 11
Details: 1952, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: It’s brother against brother in this Western directed by Budd Boetticher.
Robert Ryan stars as Dan Hammond, a returning Civil War veteran who turns to crime when his hopes for a better life are dashed. His brother, Neil (Rock Hudson), also back from the war, takes over the family ranch and soon becomes a marshal.
Dan Hammond’s outlaw ways, including cattle rustling, set the brothers on a collision course.
The film also features Julie Adams, John McIntire, Judith Braun, Raymond Burr and future “Gunsmoke” costars James Arness and Dennis Weaver.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main extra.
Honky Tonk Freeway (Blu-ray)
Details: 1981, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG
The lowdown: When the small Florida town of Ticlaw is bypassed for an exit ramp from a new freeway, the desperate townspeople take matters into their own hands.
The town’s only attraction is its wildlife-safari park, owned by the mayor. The townsfolk take matters into their own hands with help from a water-skiing elephant, a rampaging rhino, a few explosives as well as a group of very odd travelers.
The movie, directed by Oscar-winner John Schlesinger, features William Devane, Beau Bridges, Hume Cronyn, Beverly D’Angelo, George Dzundza, Teri Garr, Howard Hessman, Geraldine Page, Jessica Tandy and Daniel Stern.
The movie, while funny, was a box office disaster, losing millions of dollars.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the major bonus feature.
Eye of the Tiger (Blu-ray)
Details: 1986, Scorpion Releasing-Kino Lorber
Rated: R, violence, language
The lowdown: Gary Busey is out for revenge in this exploitation action-thriller.
Busey’s Buck Matthews is a Vietnam veteran and an ex-con who returns to his rural hometown simply wanting to live in peace with his wife and daughter.
But that soon becomes impossible after a biker gang, led by the vicious Blade (William Smith), begins terrorizing the townspeople. When Buck tries to protect his family from the gang, his wife is killed and his daughter is traumatized.
Vowing revenge, Matthews gets help from an old Vietnam-vet buddy, played by Yaphet Kotto, as well as his former cellmate, a drug kingpin living in Miami.
The cast also includes Seymour Cassel and Bert Remsen.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD stereo; English SDH subtitles.
Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection (Blu-ray)
Details: 1965-2001, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A four-disc set featuring six movies by independent filmmaker Bill Rebane, who built his own studio in rural Wisconsin.
These strange movies deal with alien invasions, a monster truck and even haunted pianos.
The movies in this set are: Monster A Go-Go (1965, not rated), in which a mutant astronaut terrorizes sunbathers; “Invasion From Inner Earth” (1974, not rated) about an apocalyptic contagion as viewed from the vantage point of a remote mountain cabin; “The Alpha Incident” (1978, unrated) deals with a microorganism from Mars, brought to Earth by a space probe, begins reaping havoc; “The Demons of Ludlow” (1983, unrated) centers on a murderous demon who resides inside an antique piano; “The Game” (1984, not rated) features nine people who gather in an old mansion because they were promised $1 million by a trio of millionaires if they can overcome their biggest fears; and “Twister’s Revenge” (1988, not rated) follows three bumbling criminals who are trying to get their hands on the computerized control system of Mr. Twister, a monster truck with a mind of its own.
Also included is the 2021 documentary, “Who Is Bill Rebane.”
As you can probably tell, these movies are low-budget schlock simply meant to be enjoyed and not analyzed.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen pictures; and 1.33:1 full-screen picture (“The Game”); English Dolby digital monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include “Straight Shooter,” a multi-part interview with Rebane about the making and release of the movies in the set; a 60-page collector’s booklet; two early short films and an industrial short film by Rebane; an interview with film historian and critic Kim Newman about Rebane; a visual essay by film historian and critic Richard Harlan Smith; a featurette about Rebane and the importance of regional filmmaking; a two-hour conversation with film historian and critic Stephen R. Bissette about Rebane’s movies; and outtakes from “Invasion Inner Earth,” “The Alpha Incident” and “The Demons of Ludlow.”
Million Dollar Mystery (Blu-ray)
Details: 1987, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG
The lowdown: How a director with the stature of Richard Fleischer (“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” “The Vikings,” “The Narrow Margin” and “Compulsion”) wound up behind the camera for this turkey is a bigger mystery than the $4 million in embezzled money hidden on four bridges throughout Arizona.
The film is basically a low-rent version of “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” only except featuring an all-star cast of comedians, this movie stars Eddie Deezen and features Tom Bosley, Kevin Pollak and Rich Hall.
The search is on after a former White House aide collapses at the counter of an Arizona diner. Before he dies, the tells the patrons about the hidden money.
A greedy group of money-hungry strangers take off the find the loot.
The movie is basically a feature you would watch if you had nothing else better to do.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main extra.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
American Fighter (Blu-ray & DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Evil Everywhere (DVD & VOD) (Wild Eye Releasing)
Heavy Trip (Blu-ray) (Doppelganger Releasing)
Last Days (DVD) (IndiePix Films)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Between Black and Blue (Sundance Now)
Dreaming Grand Avenue (Music Box Films Home Entertainment)
The Unholy (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Blue Miracle (www.netflix.com/BlueMiracle) (Netflix, May 27)
American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally (Vertical Entertainment, May 28)
Plan B (Hulu, May 28)
A Black Lady Sketch Show: Season 2 (HBO Home Entertainment, May 29)
Baby God (HBO Home Entertainment, May 31)
Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (HBO Home Entertainment, May 31)
Candice Renoir: Series 1 (Acorn TV, May 31)
Mare of Easttown (HBO Home Entertainment, May 31)
The Most Dangerous Year (Sundance Now, May 31)
Strike a Pose (Sundance Now, May 31)
Whitstable Pearl: Episode 3 (Acorn TV, May 31)
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.